DE2510708A1 - PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF MILK CHOCOLATE MASSES - Google Patents

Description

Process for the continuous production of milk chocolate masses »

The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of milk chocolate masses, the roasted Cocoa nibs finely ground and kneaded with the addition of sugar, lecithin, cocoa butter and milk powder, rolled, is homogenized and refined.

XJm Achieving a high taste quality and fineness for milk chocolate masses takes a lot of time and machinery required because processing stages such as fine grinding of roasted cocoa nibs, mixing in cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar and milk powder, fine rolling, homogenizing all mass components and removal of harmful aromas are required, whereby it is unavoidable, the mass in Batch-wise area of certain processing sections

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treat, which of course precludes a desirable continuous implementation of the mass treatment. Efforts to improve the work flow and especially the Making long conching times cheaper have already been employed. With a semi-continuous one Process that has the beneficial effect of a continuous thin-film treatment (DT-PS 1557 184) for the purpose of expulsion of harmful aromas and odor immediately after the fine grinding of the cocoa nibs, the conching time could For example, from around twenty-four to eight to twelve hours with the same quality of the finished product be pressed down, whereby the cocoa nibs must pass through the following machines or apparatus:

Pre-mill, fine mill, thin-film treatment apparatus, continuous kneader, Rolling mill and conche, whereby the conching must be carried out in batches in order to ensure that the before the Continuous kneaders, i.e. milk powder added quite late, inevitably with water introduced into the end product only a certain percentage may have to drive out again down to the permissible proportion and equally undesirable Flavors that are also introduced with the milk powder.

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The total energy expenditure, but also the mechanical expenditure are in the conventional but also in the semi-continuous procedure, in particular by the necessary Conching use correspondingly high.

On the one hand, it had long been recognized that the necessary conching time increases with an increase in the energy concentration can be reduced, but on the other hand it was necessary to recognize that, for structural reasons, an essential Increasing the power density (KW / m) is no longer possible.

Also the possible way, first a raw chocolate mass of cocoa + sugar + milk powder + cocoa butter in a suitable one Liquefying the device and then subjecting it to a thin-film treatment does not achieve the desired result Success. Extensive studies have shown that such a treatment is possible, the success however, it is too low and therefore does not represent an economical solution. It could be shown that the sensory Properties of the chocolate mass due to the thin-film treatment change noticeably in a positive sense, a dehumidification and viscosity improvement on final state but under economical conditions and without loss of quality of the mass in the thin-film short-term process can not be achieved. Responsible for this is the great adsorption capacity of what is already contained in the mass Sugar.

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The invention is based on the object of creating a method which, with at least the same quality result and the same throughput with lower energy and machine expenditure, which is carried out fully continuously can be and in which the homogenization process already largely from the required expulsion of excess water and harmful aromas is relieved.

This object is achieved with a method of the type mentioned according to the invention in that the finely ground Cocoa nibs, which are continuously and alternately subjected to batch mixing or kneading this alternating batch processing cocoa butter and Milk powder can be added, whereby during the treatment of each one batch, the other, ready-mixed or kneaded batch emptied continuously and the mass already containing the milk powder then for the purpose Dehumidification and evaporation are subjected to a known thin layer treatment, with cocoa butter, Lecithin and sugar are added and continuously subjected to alternating batch homogenization, from which during the time of homogenization in one batch the finished mass of the other batch continuously is deducted.

It is therefore essential here that the milk powder with its water content and its harmful aromas do not yet have it

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evaporated cocoa mass mixed with sugar is added and the thin-layer treatment is carried out with this, so that the mass withdrawn therefrom on the one hand already contains the milk powder, but on the other hand already largely is free of excess water and harmful aromas, with the result that the subsequent treatment stages are no longer are burdened by these components to be eliminated.

A relatively long conching or refining time that stands in the way of fully continuous treatment, is no longer necessary.

The one required for this treatment according to the invention Machine expenditure, namely two alternately working batch mixers or intensive refiners, which will be described in more detail is only apparently bigger, because once batch mixers are not so costly and energy-consuming like conching and on the other hand, you cannot manage with just one conche in the aforementioned semi-continuous process, if the continuously working part of the corresponding overall system is to run continuously. Behind the last refinement stage the mass can also advantageously be passed through a static mixer (DT-PS 2130 134).

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The system for carrying out the procedure consists of the following elements:

Pre-mill, fine mill, two alternating batch mixers, Thin-film treatment device (DT-PS 1557 continuous kneader, sugar mill, rolling mill, ball mill etc. and static mixer if necessary (DT-PS 2130 134).

The assignment of these partially known elements takes place according to the invention in such a way that the thin-film treatment device a batch mixer that can alternately be fed and emptied continuously is connected upstream and a corresponding one working and trained mixer with the interposition of a continuous kneader and at least one Fine grinding mechanism, such as a roller mill, ball mill or the like. Is connected downstream.

The batch mixer is preferably designed in such a way that that two troughs provided with mixing or kneading elements are reversibly connected to loading and emptying lines are, the troughs are mounted on debit indicator elements.

Instead of the continuous mixer, a corresponding batch mixer can also be used, which has the advantage that only one type of mixer is used in a system.

Depending on the taste and quality requirements, the Sugar in front of or behind the fine grinder (roller, ball mill

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or the like), whereby the sugar should of course be reduced to the final fineness in the event of subsequent addition must be brought, which, however, has some effects on the taste, since fully ground sugar becomes a leads to other flavor nuances.

The method according to the invention, the installation for carrying it out and the advantages that can be achieved with the method are explained in more detail below on the basis of the graphic representation of exemplary embodiments.

It show schematically

1 shows the overall system in a diagram (system C and system D);

Pig. 2 in the diagram shows the plant for the well-known semi-continuous Procedure (Appendix B);

3 shows the system for a further conventional one in a diagram Procedure (Appendix A) and

Fig. H shows the batch mixer in section.

The following abbreviations are used in the figures: K-B = cocoa butter; M-P = milk powder; Le = lecithin; Roman numerals = number of pieces of

necessary machines

According to FIG. 1, the roasted and pre-broken cocoa kernels are ground in a pre-mill 1 and a fine mill 2. From the fine mill 2, the mass arrives in one of the troughs 9 of the batch mixer 3 »while at the same time the mass during

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the treatment of the bulk charge in the other trough 9 is continuously withdrawn from the respective other trough 9. With the finely ground cocoa, cocoa butter and milk powder are added with metering elements (not shown). The mass consisting of cocoa, cocoa butter and milk powder then reaches the thin-film treatment device 4, where excess water and harmful aromas, which are contained in the mass both by the cocoa and the milk powder, are largely removed, so that the subsequent treatment is no longer burdened . The further addition of cocoa butter and lecithin and their mixing with the cocoa mass takes place by means of a continuously operating kneader 5 »into which the sugar ground with the sugar mill 6 can also be added. As mentioned, a corresponding batch mixer can also be used for the continuous kneader 5. By bypassing the rolling mill 7, however, the sugar, which has already been brought to the final fineness, as indicated by dashed lines (Appendix D), can also first be introduced into the batch mixer 3 ¹ (separate grinding principle). The mass coming from the continuous kneader 5 arrives via the rolling mill 7 in the batch mixer 3, which also operates alternately, in which the continuous withdrawal process of the finished mass, as with mixer 3, is based on the treatment time in the other trough 9.

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The amounts enforced by the individual system elements are xn the graphs for comparison purposes and, for example. specified. Behind the mixer 3 ^ there can be a static Mixer 8 can be connected downstream. For the purpose of clarifying the progress that can be achieved with this method, the Fig. 2,3 shows a conventional and the semi-continuous process (both known). A comparison results in the following: The following recipe is assumed as an example: $ 12 cocoa oma s e $ 18 cocoa butter sugar

milk powder

$ 100 chocolate mass

A comparison is made between k production processes, namely

A) Conventional method

B) Semi-conventional method

C) New procedure

D) New method according to the separate grinding principlexp

A plant that works according to the new method C) was designed for a throughput of 2 t / h = 48 t / day. Systems A), B) and D) have the same daily output.

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Compared to Appendix Α), machines are saved or more are required:

Appendix B)

8 conches with a capacity of 3 t each

Appendix C)

3 rolling mills a 500 kg / h $ 50 kneader capacity

(from h t / h to 2 t / h) 16 conches with a capacity of 3 t

Appendix P)

6 rolling mills a 500 kg / h 1 kneader 4 h t / h

16 conches

+ 1 PETZOMAT a 1 t / h

+ 1 PETZOMAT a 1 t / h + 2 intensive processors

a 2 t / h + 1 static mixer

a 2 t / h + 1 medium pressure mass pump a 2 t / h

+ 1 PETZOMAT at 1000 kg / h + 2 intensive refiners

a 2 t / h + 1 static mixer

a 2 t / h + 1 medium pressure mass pump a 2 t / h

This results in relation to the investment costs

following relation:

A: B: c: D = 3, k : 2.7 s 1 , 6 : 1

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M ■ * -

This means, for example, that plant A requires 3 times the investment outlay compared to plant D, without taking into account the space costs, which, however, decrease significantly in the order A), B), C), D). The following picture emerges for the energy balance: A: B: C: D = 2.5: 2: 1.7: 1, which means, for example, that the energy requirement of system A is 2.5 times as high as that of system D. The two batch mixers 3 and 3 'are according to Pig. h structured as follows:

Preferably, the troughs 9 each contain a pair of intermeshing mixing screws 10 against which the mass circulates is pressed by an agitator i4. Both troughs are alternately filled by a switchable line 11, are stored in a frame 15 on load cells 13, so that when the respective total filling amount is reached in a trough, the metering of all components is switched off will. While an intensive mixed treatment takes place in one trough, the other trough is emptied, so that a continuous total throughput is guaranteed. The basic prerequisite for this, however, is that which can be achieved according to the procedure Relief of the mass, especially in the final refinement phase, of excess moisture and harmful aromas that the allows relatively short residence times.

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Claims (6)

A ■ ** - claims 1. Process for the continuous production of milk chocolate masses, whereby the roasted cocoa nibs are finely ground and kneaded, rolled, homogenized and refined with the addition of cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar and milk powder,
characterized, that the finely ground cocoa nibs that continuously is alternately subjected to batch mixing or kneading, in this alternating batch processing Cocoa butter and milk powder are added, whereby during the treatment of each batch, the other ready-mixed or kneaded batch is continuously emptied and the milk powder is already emptied containing mass then for the purpose of dehumidification and evaporation of a known thin-film treatment is subjected, wherein subsequently cocoa butter, lecithin and sugar are added to the mass and the mass is continuously subjected to an alternating batch homogenization, from which during the time of Homogenization in one batch, the finished mass of the other batch is continuously withdrawn 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that that the mass withdrawn from the batch homogenization is then passed through a static mixer (8) known per se. 609839/0471 3 · Method according to claim 1 and / or 2, characterized in that the sugar is ground to the final fineness and is added in the final homogenization phase. 4. Device for carrying out the method according to claim 1, consisting of pre-mill and fine mill, thin-film treatment device, mixing or kneading devices, fine grinder and sugar mill,
characterized, that the thin-film treatment device {h) is preceded by a batch mixer (3) that can alternately be loaded and emptied continuously and a correspondingly working and designed mixer (3 *) with the interposition of a continuous kneader (5) and at least one grinding device (7)> such as a roller mill, ball mill or the like « , is downstream. 5. Device according to claim h _t, characterized in that the batch mixer (3 »3 ') is formed from two troughs (9) provided with mixing or kneading elements (10), which can be switched over with feed (ii) and discharge lines (12 ) are connected, wherein the troughs to load indicating members such as load cells (13) are mounted · 609839/0471 6. Device according to claims h and 5 »characterized in that a batch mixer (3 or 3 ') is arranged in the device instead of a continuous kneader (5). 609839/0471 Blank page